Fox Sells All Slots on Super Bowl

NEW YORK Three days before the big game, Fox confirmed it has sold all available TV commercial slots on Sunday’s Super Bowl.

All told, 59 ads will run during the telecast.

That’s assuming there are no last minute withdrawals, such as Ford’s decision to pull its Lincoln Mark LT “Lust” spot, which generated complaints from a group that found it offensive to sexual-abuse victims of Roman Catholic priests. A commercial for the Ford Mustang will run in its place [Adweek Online, Feb. 3].

Ad sales for the Super Bowl usually go down to the wire, and sources said CBS last year sold the final available spot the day before the game. (The fourth-quarter can be an especially tough sell, owing to the risk of a blowout and fears that the audience will tune out).

Fox will reap approximately $142 million in paid media during the game, sources said. Total Super Bowl sales for the network and its owned and operated TV stations will likely exceed $200 million, sources said.

Fox declined to comment on the exact numbers, although the company rep noted that the last time Fox had the game in 2002, the last spot was also sold just three days before kick off.

The average cost of a 30-second Super Bowl spot was $2.4 million, up slightly from last year.